Tallahassee Real Estate
Long before Tallahassee, Florida had political aspirations, or became the center of all government for the fourth most populated state in the Union, is was, and is, a florid, lush tropical environment near one of the most beautiful bodies of water in the world, the Gulf of Mexico.
The land that would eventually become the capitol of Florida was the home to Native Americans, and later was traversed by explorers as the new world made way to trade and exploration.
When finally settled, the town was originally part of both Escambia County and Jackson County, and later a part of Gadsden County, created by the Territorial Legislature in December 1824 as the seventh county in the State of Florida. Now, it is part of Leon County, named for Ponce De Leon, a Spanish explorer, and was one of the most populous and prosperous counties in Florida prior to statehood.
Tallahassee, named for the "old fields" that it once encompassed, earned the title early in the 16th century from the Apalachee Indians who inhabited the area. Legend says that the final spelling was chosen by Octavia Walton, daughter of the territorial governor of Florida.
Today, Tallahassee exemplifies not only the influence of the Indian, but also that of the Spanish, French and English who occupied the area in succession. The City of Tallahassee, the county seat and only incorporated city in Leon County, was established in 1825, following a decision by the legislature to locate the capital of the new Florida Territory between the population centers of St. Augustine and Pensacola.
In 1834, the Tallahassee-St. Marks railroad was built. Florida became a state in 1845, and the West Seminary was opened, which is now Florida State University. During the Civil War, Florida, a Southern state, seceded from the Union, and Tallahassee remained the only southern state capitol not to be captured by the North during the war.
The City of Tallahassee has had a long history of annexation activity as a means of achieving growth. During its first 150 years, Tallahassee expanded from one-quarter of a mile in size to 26.15-square-miles, at the beginning of 1979 and during the last 20 years has seen an incredible increase in size, with 75 additional square miles having been added during that time, swelling the size of Tallahassee to more than 100-square-miles.
Tallahassee is nestled among the rolling hills of northwest Florida and is at the center of the eight-county “Big Bend” area.
Geographically, Tallahassee is close to both the Gulf of Mexico, 20 miles to the south, and Georgia, 14 miles north.
Its rolling landscape is unique to most other Florida cities with some of the downtown areas including the Capitol complex, City Hall and the County Courthouse, exceeding elevations of 200 feet.
Closer to Atlanta than Miami, Tallahassee is often called “The Other Florida” because of its attitude, topography, climate and lifestyle.
Best known as Florida’s capital, Tallahassee is an intimate small, metropolitan city where the state government, the academic and the artistic are complemented by subtle, old-fashioned Southern charm. It is the perfect two- or three-day diversion for the more than 41 million annual visitors to Florida.